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Atomic Force Microscopy Studies of Microstructure and Properties of Self Assembled Monolayers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

Jecksan R. Santiago
Affiliation:
Box 7531, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7531
E. Barry Troughton
Affiliation:
Lord Corporation, 405 Gregson Drive, Cary, NC, 27511
Richard A. Dennis
Affiliation:
Lord Corporation, 405 Gregson Drive, Cary, NC, 27511
Phillip E. Russell
Affiliation:
Box 7531, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7531
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Extract

Ex-situ and in-situ studies were performed for self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formation on mica. The behavior of two surfactants [octadecylphosphonic acid (OPA) and dodecylphosphonic acid (DPA)] in two different solutions [ethanol or tetrahydrofuran (THF)] were studied at different concentrations. A cross section analysis of the monolayer images at partial coverage showed thickness of 1.8 nm, 0.7 nm, and 1.0 nm for OPA, DPA and mixed OPA/DPA, respectively. These values are similar to the ones presented by Xiao and those expected for a monolayer of mixed surfactants as proposed by Whitesides. Since the topography of a monolayer resembles the substrate, the presence of the monolayer at full coverage was determinated by force-distance curve measurements. It was observed that the solvent had the ability to re-dissolve the OPA monolayer, suggesting that the bonding is of a physisorption nature.

Type
Scanned Probe Microscopy: Much More Than Just Beautiful Images
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America

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References

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